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Spanish La Liga has escalated its fight against racism by reporting a disturbing incident of racial abuse aimed at Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior. The league filed a formal complaint with Spanish prosecutors on Tuesday following an appalling display of bigotry directed at the 23-year-old ahead of a recent match at Getafe's Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium.
According to statements provided to AFP, a group of spectators hurled vile racist insults at Vinicius, with chants of 'Vinicius, monkey' echoing outside the stadium just before Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory over Getafe.
This is not the first time Vinicius has been subjected to racial abuse. In May 2023, he confronted a fan at Valencia's Mestalla stadium after enduring racist taunts.
Real Madrid's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, lamented the situation last November, acknowledging that Vinicius has regrettably become accustomed to facing racism in Spain.
The gravity of the issue extends beyond individual players, prompting collective action within the football community. In a proactive move to combat racism, Spain is set to host Brazil for a friendly match at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium on March 26.
La Liga also reported another instance of alleged racial abuse involving Sevilla's Moroccan striker, Youssef En-Nesyri. The incident reportedly occurred during Sevilla's hard-fought 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Monday, further highlighting the urgent need for concerted efforts to root out racism from football stadiums.